To say we are Steelers fans in this house would be putting it very mildly. We're Steelers addicts. Rory can pick out a Steelers license plate or car decal a mile away and she knows how to Roethlisberger. (I really should do a vlog with her talking about football. It's hilarious!)

We are proud members of Steeler Nation. Good bad or ugly, we're here and we're fans. We dealt with that awful embarrassing loss to the stupid girly birds Ravens a few weeks ago. (UGH. I hate the Ravens!) We stood by Ben and hoped he would come through all that awfulness a better person. I have to say, I think he's really trying. It's been a really long time since he's been in any trouble! This is progress. ;) We hate the Ravens and the Bengals and we pity the Browns. We naturally hate the Patriots.

If you follow me on Twitter...sorry for all my spastic tweets during the Pats/Bills game last Sunday. I REALLY HATE TOM BRADY and I loved watching him get beat by the Bills. hahaha #tombradysucks

Also Football related...
I love Colt McCoy, the adorable quarterback for the Browns. I think he's a real stand up guy.

I hate Tim Tebow. I think he's a whiny, crying little baby! EW. I seriously think he is the most overrated draft pick in years. Gross. On that same note I really detested Kurt Warner when he was still playing. I just don't like guys who cry ALL the time. Cry when you win the Super Bowl? Sure. Cry at every game you win? Dumb. Man up!

I love Peyton Manning, I think he's so class and fantastic. I'll be really sad if he retires but I know he will have a great future as a commentator.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Today's topic is...Fall Travel!br>
We don't have a lot of travel plans for this fall. We've got a week long Disney trip coming up in June and our 5 year anniversary mini-vacation in the spring so that's where most of our travel money is being funneled right now! :) We did take a trip to Pittsburgh already for a Steelers game (Dave's taken two, actually!)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

I have lots of favorite fall recipes! Spaetzel soup is one of my standbys, baked corn, carrot casserole, yorkshire pudding...the list goes on and on. The recipe I am sharing today is for a new favorite recipe of mine!

Bacon cheese biscuits!

You may have seen this floating around Pinterest, but I'm still sharing it. It's AWESOME.

1. Spray a pie pan/cast iron skillet/casserole pan with cooking spray. Preheat oven to temperature on biscuit can.
2. Open tube of biscuits. Try not to jump when it startles you! ;)
3. Arrange biscuits in pan and bake for about 5 minutes. I did this the second time I made this recipe and it works well! It lets the biscuits puff up before you add the toppings.
4. Remove pan from oven. Top with mozzarella, shred ched and bacon. I did slices of moz, shred ched on top and bacon crumbles on the very top. It doesn't really matter the order!
5. Return pan to over and continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes or so. This will take some trial and error until you figure out when the biscuits are cooked and the cheese is deliciously melted and awesome.

Seriously. I challenge you to make these biscuits and NOT EAT THE ENTIRE THING YOURSELF. :) So goooooood!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Up All Night
Already so funny! I imagine it's not as funny if you don't have/haven't spent a lot of time with babies but oh my goodness. I laugh my booty off at this show! Watch it. Laugh. Realize this is prettttty much Dave and me to a tee.

Law and Order: SVU
I am so sad that Chris Meloni isn't on anymore. But I really love Mariska Hargitay and the new detective seems really good. It'll be interesting to see how it progresses.

Modern Family
This is new to Dave and I this year. (I know. We are so behind.) We love what we've seen so far though!

THE OFFICE.
Yeah, you know I love this show. I'm excited to see Pam and Jim's son. I can't wait to see what they do with Angela being pregnant and married to a gay guy. hahaha I giggle just thinking about it. Plus the planking cold open!? Genius.

Glee!
I know, I said I was over Glee. But the season premiere was super good. I've got hope for this show again!

Whitney
HILARIOUS so far. So awkward and funny.

The Sing Off
I love good singing and this show is great!! I like the Yellow Jackets and Delilah so far.

Rachel Zoe!
How can you not love her?! She's the best. I think her bff Joey is annoying, though. He's way too much for me. I like Jeremiah much better!

I want to watch The New Girl and Pan Am. Both are recording. I'm excited for some new shows!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Holy moly Day 5 already?! This week actually went pretty fast. Overall, it kinda sucked. But I got to spend this morning doing two of my students' hair for homecoming festivities at school. Cheerleader curls, coffee and two favorite students is a great way to start a Friday. :o)

Today's theme, hosted by the ever lovely Neely and Amber, is Things You Are Looking Forward To for fall.

Hmmm...there's so much I'm looking forward to. I love this time of year! In no particular order...

Trace's birthday and christening!
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Snow (yes, I'm serious! and yes, it snows in the fall here. Guaranteed it snows before Halloween)
Lots of Steelers football and football food. :)
Sweaters scarves leggings and boots!
Dark nail polish
Tons of hot coffee
Going to Pumpkinville
My dad's birthday
My sister doing her next rotation at a hospital 30 minutes from us, so she gets to live at home!!

What are you looking forward to?

Sidebar...I'm 9 followers away from 100! What the heck?! haha I feel so accomplished. I'm hosting a 31 giveaway in the next 10 days or so...(my consultant just had surgery so we're shooting for Monday or Tuesday, but that's iffy) If you have no idea what 31 is...well you are CRAZY. (kidding!) It's the cutest bags and stuff. Check it out here: Thirty One Happy Weekend!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Oh how I love this topic!!! I love to decorate, period. Fall decs are some of my favorites, probably because they stay up for a long time. I put them up in the middle of September and leave them up until Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving though...it's CHRISTMAS TIME!! :)

via Pinterest
This is our project this weekend! :)
We also have tons of little pumpkins all over. Rory calls them "her" decorations and she moves them as she sees fit. Perfect for toddler hands. :) I picked some adorable metal yard signs at Ross the other day. A 2 foot tall Mummy that holds a sign that reads "I Love My Mummy" and an 18 inch sparkly owl that's "perched" on a Happy Halloween sign. And of course there's 2 scarecrows on our porch, a boy and a girl. ;)
How do you decorate for fall??

Now on to link up number two...

It's okay...
to subsist solely on coffee, Greek Yogurt and Diet Coke somedays. There's just no time.
to have cried when your Hunter boots didn't fit your ballerina calves. Even though you love your legs, you really loved those Hunter boots! SAD.
to have no clue what to get your son for his birthday next month. It's much easier when they can tell you what they want! :)
to be super annoyed by the Yo Gabba Gabba song playing on the tv right now. Yikes.
to some days just need your mom and dad like you're 6 again.
to be excited when a new episode of one of Rory's shows comes on. As long as it's not Dora.
to be using the money you are getting refunded from the Hunter Boots on something just as fabulous for yourself...anyone have a suggestion?? :)
to need a day off from life.

What's okay with you this week??

Sidebar! I'm going to be hosting a 31 giveaway next week! Keep your eyes peeled for that one. :)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Linking up with my cuties Neely and Amber again today! Today's theme is...

Hallow Traditions and/or Memories

We don't have too many Halloween traditions yet, since this is only our second year having two kids!
Rory has trick or treated twice and dressed up three times. The first year she was a Chiquita Banana Girl.

Last year, Rory was Minnie Mouse and Trace was a Ghostie. He was only 7 days old on Halloween so he didn't get much of a choice. :)

This year they will be Princess Tiana and a Frog. Wait until you see the pictures. It's beyond hilarious. Trace LOVES his costume and Rory likes an excuse to be Princess Tiana.
I haven't dressed up for Halloween since college. As a kid, some of my favorite costumes were an M&M (my whole family went together as different colors!), a butterfly and Snow White. I was always a ballerina for about 7 years because I loved my dance costumes. :) My sister was a Christmas Tree one year. I wish I had picks, it was AWESOME. haha
Dave dresses up and goes out in State College (where Penn State is) each year. (Except last year, because you know we had a newborn. :)) Two years ago he was a Disco Man and this year he is being Justin Beiber. So embarrassing. ;)
What are your Halloween Traditions? Share some good ones I should start with the kids! :)

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

THESE BAD BOYS in chocolate brown are headed to my house as we speak. Gilt Group had a fantastic sale on them last Thursday. I've been wanting a pair for a year now, since Kelly got some and raved about them. :) I couldn't find any in my size last year and this year I wasn't ready to spend money on them. (haha) So the sale was perfect timing! I seriously geeked out over them.
Confession. I definitely googled fall fashion trends. I'm an exhausted full time business owner, mom of two. I don't know these things. :)
Here's what I came up with:

Blazers are in. I can do this one! As long as I don't have to button it because heaven knows these bad boys don't allow buttons in the front. (Although this one in the picture would be okay, since it buttons low.)
Touches and hints of lace are in. This I very much approve of!
"Granny" Plaid. LOVE big plaid!!
Jade Green. This is super flattering on the pale skin crowd like me!
Chunky Sweaters. Perfect for freezing cold Pennsylvania winters.
Not approved of by me: Maxi skirts, large polka dots, mustard hues (hello Dwight Schrute), rust colored trench coats (I can't wear rust. Too pale.), choker necklaces. NO THANKS. I did that trend the first time around. haha
As far as makeup or nails go, I usually only change my nails to match the season, not my makeup. I'm not that fancy. ;)
I'm loving OPI's Fall Collection:

Monday, September 19, 2011

I'm linking up with two of my favorite bloggers for their Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge! Neely blogs at A Complete Waste of Makeup and tweets @neelykins. Amber blogs at Brunch with Amber and tweets at @brunchwithamber . You should really follow them. They are sweet girls who are great bloggers. They are also pretty fantastic friends. :)

Today's theme: Fall Traditions
I can honestly say we don't have many fall traditions yet. We have Holiday traditions, like trick or treating on Halloween, but no specific fall traditions yet. Last year I was waaay too pregnant in Sept and Oct to do anything fun. This year I have some plans though that I am hoping become traditions.
1. Go to the Apple Orchard in our town
2. Visit "Pumpkinville." A super kid friendly pumpkin patch an hour away that I went to every year as a kid.
3. Make a Fall handprint wreath of the kids hand prints. (So we can see their growth every year!)
4. Go to the Boo Zoo on a chilly day.

What traditions do you have? Any suggestions for things I should work in with my kids?
Happy Fall! Kate

Friday, September 16, 2011

Yesterday, while perusing my Facebook feed, I noticed a group of girls I went to high school with that all have babies now had gotten together yesterday for a play date. I was a little put off that I wasn't invited and then I realized I hadn't actually spoken to any of these people in months, and a few of them in at least a year. In that moment, I had a break through. It wasn't that I didn't like these girls and they didn't like me, it was just...we're all different now. Not good, not bad, just different. And that's okay.

I've had to come to the realization that I've had to close my heart off to some people who occupied it in the past.

A dear friend of mine went through a nasty break up a while ago. This man she was in love with just dropped her like a hot potato for reasons still unknown. She's a fantastic person and deserved far better. We've spent a lot of time talking about the situation and I've encouraged her to move on. Clearly, he's not the one and she needs to close her heart off to him. She needs to be thankful he was in her life for a while and then close it off.

Oprah is one of my biggest inspirations. I find her to be so wise and timely in her speaking. I watched her Master Class show on OWN a few weeks ago. She said, and I'm paraphrasing here, that when she has a disagreement or falling out with someone, she learns what she can from the situation. Good, bad or ugly, she learns something. It might be something she doesn't want to or like to learn, but she learns. She's grateful for the experience and the lessons, forgives the person the best she can and then closes off that part of her heart. She doesn't write that person off completely out of her life, she just closes that part of her heart.

I think that is so important. Closing off a part of your heart doesn't mean that the person who occupied that space is gone forever. It simply means that part that they occupied is now closed. Should that person re-enter your life, they will need to earn a new location. They will need to start fresh in your life.

I've needed to close my heart to someone who hurt me a few years ago. I've known I needed to do this but I never had the courage to do it. Today. I did. I deleted this person from my Facebook, out of my phone contacts and I feel good about it. I respect this person and I forgave long ago the hurts, deception and general awfulness that occurred. I just can't allow this person to take up anymore space in my heart. I learned a lot from the situation, mainly that people you really care about and pour time in to don't always feel the same about you. I learned I am a stronger person than I thought I was. I learned that I have to stop putting stock in some people and focus more on myself. I learned to rely on myself, my own motivation and that I have to be the bigger person at all times.

Closing my heart to this person was really hard. But it's so important. Part of my post partum issues is that I rehash every thing a thousand times over. I obsess and lose sleep constantly over the tiniest perceived slight. So of course, having someone completely flip part of my life when I was pregnant didn't do good things for my ppd. It aggravated my symptoms to the point where I had to double my medicine dosage just to press forward with my daily life. I wish I had been strong enough to close my heart off sooner, but I couldn't. I was surviving and that was enough. Now, as my son turns one in 6 weeks, I'm finally ready and able to close my heart off. I'm done with this person's chapter in my life. I'm grateful for the good times we had, I learned a lot from the situation but now, I must move on. It certainly doesn't mean that this person is a bad person or doesn't fit in other people's lives very well. It's just...not right for me at this moment. Someday maybe things will change, but for the moment, this is what it is. For my own mental health and for my future, I've closed this person out of my heart. And that's okay.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

-to blog after a 14 hour day. Incoherence makes for some good laughs! :)

-to get super excited when you come home from work and your husband took out the trash AND did the dishes. Without being asked. He's a good man, that David. :)

-to be really excited to see your sister for the first time in 6 weeks on Friday!

-to want to cook a delish meal, usually from a recipe pinned on Pinterest, but never ever remember all the ingredients.

-to be inseparable from your Erin Condren Planner. WHAT was my life before that handy dandy notebook? (little Blues Clues reference for you there. Get that? wink wink)

-to blog and drink wine. YAY!

-to really wish you could go to Blissdom but be a responsible person and wait until next year.

-to be really embarrassed that your husband is dressing as Justin Beiber for Halloween. Omg. Thank God I'm not going with him. Weird.

-to be way too old for the bars in your town.

-to think you'd enjoy going to fun bars with your blog friends. They always look like they have so much fun with cute drinks, cute outfits and fun places to go! The forest just doesn't offer those same options. (ha!)

-to be eating dinner at 9:30 pm when you swore up and down you would remember your dinner at work tonight. Fail.

-to be ready for summer...281 days until DISNEY!! :)

-to really want to decorate your house more for holidays. But I won't because I'd just spend more and more time each day yanking things out of Trace's mouth. Maybe next year.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Shell is hosting another great photo link up! This time the theme is Magical Moments. You can post any pictures you have that represent a magical moment in your life. One, two, thirty...as many as you like! :) Join in and link up. There's prizes with this one, including a $400 Cannon Camera!!

Monday, September 12, 2011

I realize it's been an awfully long time since I gave a good update on my kiddos. Since I tend to forget things about ten minutes after they happen, I better record these memories somewhere. :)

Rory.Age: 2 years, 5 monthsHeight: Approximately 33 inchesWeight: 26 poundsEyes: Still green-gray. Gorgeous color!Hair: Medium brown with curls on the end. It actually looks like big girl hair, not baby hair!Shoe size: 6, 7 or 8. Depends on the shoe.Pants: 24 months mostly, some 2tShirts: 2t, some 3t. She has long arms!

Favorites: (I asked her all these questions and these are her real answers) TV Show: Dora the ExplorerSong: Did You See Where the Cat Threw Up? (Yes, it's a real song!)Movie: The Princess and the FrogFood: Chicken nuggets, carrots and cheese shaped like Mickey Mouse.Color: PurpleThing to Do: Dance, color, watch Princess and the Frog

Rory Lately:She has started dance class. It's an adventure to say the least...ha!Rory has basically potty trained herself. She still wears a diaper during nap and overnight and wears pull ups when we are in the car/at the store/etc, but when we are at home/studio/houses, she wears underwear and uses the potty extremely successfully. CRAZY. :)Rory is really into reading right now. She loves to look at books for hours. She's also loving puzzles!Olivia has become a recent favorite tv show. I am hoping Olivia dethrones Dora as the queen of Rory's heart, because I'm at my Dora limit. Rory speaks in complete and complicated sentences constantly. She always has stories to tell and things to talk about. She'll talk your ear off.Rory has lately started playing with her brother, not just playing beside him. It's adorable.

Favorites: TV Show: He goes bananas for the Mickey Mouse ClubhouseSong: The Hot Dog Dance from MMCHMovie: I'm not sure he has a preference right now. We watch a lot of princess movies. Food: Gerber Puffs, Carrots, Peas, Applesauce and Toast.Color: He really doesn't know what colors are...Thing to Do: Eat, Crawl, Put things in his mouth that don't belong there, pull the dog's tail.

Trace Lately:He has recently become attached to a stuffed dalmatian a former student's brother gave him. (That boy is also named Trace! :))Trace is obsessed with his Daddy. He goes crazy when he sees or hears him.He wants to do/eat/drink everything his sister does. This presents a problem!He still has acid reflux, takes Zantac twice a day. He's on soy formula still. Soon we will have to try him on cow's milk and off the zantac. I am very scared for this time!His birthday is next month! (AHH!) We're having a golf themed party. :) Trace will also be baptized that day.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

...to figure out a craft you do well, say for example rag wreathes, and proceed to make TONS of them. If ain't broke, don't fix it.

...to really hate a lot of movies people think are fantastic.

...to not be able to stand Angelina Jolie. Like AT ALL.

...to be over the moon excited that your dad got transferred to a frack pad 10 minutes away! He's been 2 hours away for a month and we haven't seen him. Now he's at the frack pad closest to us and gets to live at home! For good!! WOOP.

...to spend a good portion of the day thinking about Disney World. It's a sickness.

...to not let your dog sleep in your bed anymore since she got sprayed by a skunk two weeks ago. She's been bathed many times and groomed but still. Ew.

...to think your blog and twitter friends are some of the truest you've ever had. For real.

...to be excited for Rory to start preschool. A year from now.

...to also have NO CLUE which preschool to send her too. And to be nervous about it now. After our daycare experience...ugh. We need to find a teacher who will love Rory.

...to really want to go outlet shopping on Friday. By myself. With lots of coffee. And a pedicure. But I only want to buy things for the kids! haha

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

I have two sick kids, both of whom want to do very little today outside of watching a movie and drinking copious amounts of juice/water. Trace has taken refuge on the ground beside me, contentedly dripping "snot" from his nose and sucking his thumb. Rory is on the couch, under a Princess Tiana blanket alternating between fake sneezing so I realize how "sick" she is and "crying" that she "can't feel better, Mommy." My children are a mystery! :)

Since we're doing a fair share of tv and movie watching this week, I thought it's high time I share my thoughts on it.

Today's battle involves the two largest children's television moguls. Disney Channel vs Nickelodeon. We'll only be discussing the "Junior" portions, as my kids aren't old enough/allowed to watch the older kids shows. Nick has an entire channel called "Nick Jr." that is 100% commercial free and plays toddler/preschool age shows 24-7. Nick also plays a block of these shows on the regular Nickelodeon channel every morning. Disney only has a block (a LONG block) of Junior aged shows right now but the full Disney Jr. channel will be launching this winter.

If I had it my way, the tv would be on Disney Jr. shows all day. Until Timmy Time comes on, then I'd shut it off entirely. (ANNOYING.) I find the Disney shows so much less irritating. Also I feel they are more educational. The music is better, the transitions between shows isn't annoying and I enjoy the characters.

Plus, here's a secret. I kinda hate Dora. A LOT. Which means I don't really like Nick. I think she's the stereotypical over achiever fakely nice chick we all went to high school. So perky and perfect all the time and never a bad day. DISLIKE. Everyone gets cranky. They need to write an episode called "Dora has a Bad Day." I'd pay money to see that. And this new teenage Dora?? WEIRD. Not entertaining. Just plain strange. I try to avoid suffering through 22 mins of Dora's craziness but Rory loves it. I appreciate the skills Dora teaches but man I can't stand that broad.

Dora. Gag.

I think it's important to note one huge, glaring difference between the channels. Disney has NO commercials. No toy commercials, no baby dolls begging to be bought, nothing. Occasionally there's an ad for a company that's sponsoring a show but it's never a full on commercial. Just this morning, Rory has screamed I NEED THAT! five times during two episodes of Dora. She's two years old. She doesn't "need" anything except 3 meals a day, a glass of juice and an M&M after going "potty." Nick, you're making me angry with these commercials. (The dedicated Nick Jr. channel doesn't have commercials, but they don't play the little Mexican she-devil in the mornings.)

I will say I enjoy the Fresh Beat Band and Bubble Guppies. Both are super cute, catchy tunes and lack severely annoying characters. (Although Twist from the Fresh Beats? I've got my eye on you. Shape up!) The dancing in the FBB is infectious in a good way and the Bubble Guppies are so stinking cute it's unreal. But for the most part? Nick gets like 2 stars for overall children's programming.Fresh Beat Band! We had a great day, it was a super way...

Now. Disney Jr on the other hand...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?! Fantastic.

Handy Manny? Adorable. (Handy Manny, voiced by Wilmer Valdarama)

Little Einsteins, Chuggington, Jungle Junction are all great and educational. (Little Einsteins wins most educational, though. Always featuring classical music, composers and works of art. AWESOME.) Jake and the Never Land Pirates is my new fave. I love the new take on team work and learning to get along the show puts out. Fantastic writing on Jake as well. There are some loser shows though. I really can't stand Timmy Time. That's the worst of all the kids shows I think, tied with Yo Gabba Gabba. I also don't like Tinga Tinga Tales or Babar. I think they missed the mark with both of those shows. But I won't old it against the overall Disney Channel rating because I haven't noticed them on the programming schedule in a loooong time. Overall rating? 4 stars.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

It's fall in Pennsylvania. Early fall, but still. Fall. :) I'm delighted! I enjoy summer but I hate being hot. It's my least favorite thing in the world, to be honest. Ask Dave, I use the AC at night all the time. I just hate that sticky, gross, sweaty feeling that comes with being hot. Shudder.

But now! It's FALL. The highest high temperature for the next ten days in the forest? 72! I can't wait. I love crisp days in the 60's with a sunny sky. I love rainy, cozy days that beg for a sweatshirt, blanket and a cup of hot coffee. I'm ready to put away my iced K-cups and put a serious dent in some seasonal creamers. I want to decorate with leaves and pumpkins, burn some delicious smelling candles and watch the leaves change outside my window.

But mostly? I want to buy some cute clothes for my kids. :) I love love love shopping for my kiddos and I'm glad tuition is coming in again so I can shop!

Trace:
Soccer Star Line from Gymboree! I'm kicking myself for not buying the entire Golf Pro line they had last spring and I won't make this mistake with the Soccer line. (Soccer and Golf are the two sports Dave plays)

For Rory:

Tutu Tomboy from Children's Place

Woodland Delights from Children's Place

Sweater Chic from Children's Place

And those are only from two of our favorite stores! So much cute clothes for kids this season!